Burial-casket.



L. W. BENTLEY.

BURIAL GASKET.

APPLIOATISN FILED MAY 31, 1912. Patented June 24 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

` 23 Attest: if Inventor:

Atty Patented June24, 1913.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M] Inventor:

UNTTEB STATES PATENT FFT@ @l LEON W. BENTLEY, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. i

BURIAL-GASKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 31, 1912. Serial No. 700,603.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownv that I, LEON W. BENTLEY, a citizen of the United Sta-tes, residing at Brooklyn, inthe county of Kings and State of New York, have invented 'certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Gaskets, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to separable burial caskets and to means whereby the sections thereof may be automatically separated one from the other, and its novelty consists in the construction and adaptation of the parts as will be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a device embodying in v invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section thereof on the plane of the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, the inner section of the casket being shown in its lowermost position; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the lowering device with the inner section of the casket in its lowermost position; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through one of the connectors between the inner and outer sections of the casket and of the adjacent parts of the two sections of the casket and of the automatic releaser beneath the same; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of the same parts showing the operation of the releaser; and Flg. 6 is a perspective detail of one of the connectors.

In the drawings, 10 represents the outer section of aburial casket of usual form having longitudinal sides 11, 11, transverse ends 12, 12 and a top 13 but no bottom. This outer section may be oi any desired size, shape and material and may be provided with any usual attachments and ornamentations. It is preferably made without any of the usual internal upholstery or trimmings.

represents the inner section of the burial casket made of usual `form and having longitudinal sides 21, 21, transverse ends 22, 22, and a bottom 23 but no top. This inner section may be of any desired shape and material and provided with any desired or usual interior trimming or npholstery, but it should be made of such a size,

shape and material as to it within and harmonize with the outer section above described, the purpose of the device being to 'form in connection with such outer section a complete burial casket, and to that end the two sections are preferably so made that to the ordinary observer they form the usual burial casket with appropriate external decoration and appropriate internal upholstery.

Proper means are provided for normally uniting the two sections together by means of connectors placed at appropriate and suitable intervals 'between the inner and outer sections and which each comprise bodies having Shanks 31 31 on one or both sides of each body, and which Shanks have front beveled edges 32, 32. These connectors are adapted and intended to reciprocate in recesses formed in brackets 33 which are secured .at the proper places to the inner sides of the outer section by any suitable means, for instance screws 34. Springs indicated at 35 placed within each bracket tend constantly to force the connectors inwardly. The sides 21 of the inner casket section are provided with recesses corresponding in position andl number to the several connectors and in which the ends o-f the connectors are adapted to fit.

It is obvious that when the connectors are in normal position,-that is, when the inner ends of their bodies are engaging the recesses in the sidesof the inner section,- the two sections of the casket are locked together securely and safely and may be moved and otherwise treated as a unitary structure,

The purpose of the invention is to treat 'the inner and outer parts as such a unitary structure until an interment is to take piace. It is then desired that the inner section should be lowered into the grave prepare to receive it, while the outer section should be retained for a new use with a new inner section, thus saving the relatively great eX- pense of a new outer ornamental section for each burial. s v To that end, advantage is taken of the use of inoiiensive and unobtrusive lowering devices which are now frequently employed. These comprise a framework or platform indicated at 40 with a central aperture 4l corresponding to the size of the grave open- Patented J une 2a, i9i3. f

ing. This framework is provided with longitudinal shafts around which are rolled transverse bands 43 upon which the casket is adapted to rest and by which it is lowered. It is usual also to provide a brake indicated at 44 by means ofwhich the rate of descent may be controlled. This lowering device as described forms no part of my invention.

At suitable places along the framework and preferably on each side of the bands 43 wherever they are placed, I place automatic releasers for the connectors comprising upwardly projecting wedge-shaped members 5() having sloping faces adapted to contact with and vengage the oppositelysloping faces 32 of the lugs 3l of each connector.

Assuming that a body has been placed within the assembled casket and has been brought to the grave for interment, the casket is placed over the platform of the lowering device as indicated in the dotted outline in Fig. 3. The bottom 23 of the inner section. rests upon the bands 43 of the lowering device. The person having charge of the interment then releasing the brake 44 or otherwise bringing the lowering device into operation, the assembled casket7 with the inner section of the same resting upon these bands 43 gently descends under the control of the brake until the wedge-shaped releasers 50 contact with the sloping surfaces 32 of the lugs 31 of the connectors 30 and slowly push the connectors 30 outwardly against the tensions of their several springs 35 until the bodies of such connectors are entirely outside of the recesses 24 of the inner section of the casket which they have engaged. The inner section is then free from any connection with the outer section and continues to be lowered gently into the grave as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, while the outer section comes to rest upon the frame 40. After it has reached its linal resting place, the bands mayy be disengaged on one side of the framework of the lowering device and recovered for future use.

lf desired, a cover for the inner section indicated at 200 may be placed in position over the inner section of the casket before it is lowered into the grave.

What l claim is:

l. A burial casket, comprising an outer shell, an inner-body carrying receptacle, means detachably connecting the body and shell, a support for the outer shell that permits the receptacle to pass downwardly from the same, and means mounted on the support for detaching the receptacle from the shell when the casket is placed on the support.

, 2. rlFhe combination with 'a casket comprising an inner l.body-holding section and an outer shell section, of means for detach- Loeawe ably securing the sections together, and means adapted to be placed at the mouth of a grave forautomatically detaching the inner'` section from the outer section when the sections are placed over a grave and engaged withsaidmeans, to permit the inner section to be lowered into the grave independently of the outer section.

3. The combination with a casket comprising an inner body-holding section and an outer shell section, of devices for detachably securing the sections together, means for supporting the outer section over a grave, and means located in the path of said devices for operating the same to release the inner section from the outer section and permit it to be lowered into the grave vindependently of the outer section.

4. The combination with a burial casket comprising an inner body-holding section and an outer shell section having an open bottom, of bolts mounted on one of the sections andv detachably engaging the other section for securing the same together, means for supporting the outer sect-ion over a grave, and devices carried by the supporting means and located in the path of the bolts for withdrawing said bolts to permit the inner section to be lowered into the grave while t-he outer section is so supported.l

5. In combination an outer section of a burial casket having sides, and a top but 'no bottom, an inner section adapted to fit within the same and having sides and a bottom but no top and means for normally but temporarily securing the sides of the sections together, in combination with means for disengaging the parts by the movement of the parts with respect to the disengaging means.

6. A burial casket having separable inner and outer sections in combination with connectors for holding the sections together and external releasers for disengaging them to permit the sections to be separated when the parts are moved with respect to the releasers.

7. A burial casket comprising an outer shell, an inner body carrying receptacle and connectors holding the receptacle within the shell, in combination with means for automatically releasing the receptacle from the shell when the former is lowered, including releasers located to contact with such connectors as the receptacle descends.

8. In combination, an outer'burial casket section provided with a series of reciproeating bolts, an inner burial casket section provided with recesses adapted to receive said bolts, springs, one for each bolt, adapted to hold the bolts in said recesses and means adapted' to reciprocate the bolts against the tension of their springs when the inner section is lowered.

respective 9. Inf combination, an outer burial casket the bolts against .the tension of their respecsection provided with a series of reciprocattive springs. 10 ing bolts, an inner burial casket section proin testimony whereof l aiiX my signature vided with recesses adapted to receive said in presence of two witnesses,

bolts, springs, one for each bolt, adapted to LEON W. BENTLEY. hold the bolts in said recesses and Wedges Witnesses:

one for each bolt` placed to Contact With the DORUS R. MCREA,

bolt as the device descends, to reciprocate CLARENCE G.`CAMPBELL 

